Man Charged in Prostitute Slayings in California

Published: January 15, 1992

RIVERSIDE, Calif., Jan. 14—
A county worker paroled after serving nearly 10 years in prison for killing his infant daughter was charged today with the murder of two women, the police announced in the first major break in the serial slayings of 19 prostitutes.

The police said they arrested the 41-year-old county worker, William L. Suff, after a routine traffic stop on Thursday night.

At a news conference here, members of the law-enforcement task force that had tracked the slayings for six years acknowledged that more than one killer may have been involved. Investigation Continuing

"With the evidence we have we're confident on the two," said Lieut. Al Hearn of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. "We don't know what it's going to lead to on the others. We are continuing the investigation into all 19."

Lieutenant Hearn said Mr. Suff had not been a suspect before his arrest.

Mr. Suff worked for Riverside County as a stock clerk since 1985, the lieutenant said. The slayings began in 1986, the most recent occurring last month.

"Since he's been in custody he's been, to my knowledge, cooperative," Lieutenant Hearn said of the suspect. But he refused to comment when asked if Mr. Suff had confessed.

An arraignment was scheduled for today but was continued to Feb. 4. Mr. Suff is charged with killing Catherine McDonald, the 17th victim, whose body was found last Sept. 13, and Elenor Ojeda Casares, the final victim, whose body was found Dec. 23. 'A Very Trying Matter'

Mr. Suff's lawyer, Floyd Zagorsky, a public defender, told The Associated Press that he would not discuss the case other than to say, "It's a very trying matter."

The police say that all 19 women slain were prostitutes and that most were drug users. Their bodies were found in Riverside, a city of 226,500 people 60 miles east of Los Angeles, and in surrounding areas.

Investigators have refused throughout the case to give details of the killings or to say why they thought they were connected.

Mr. Suff was stopped Thursday for making an illegal U-turn, and was found to be wanted in Texas on a parole violation. The arresting officers impounded Mr. Suff's vehicle and notified the task force. Officials would not say what made the officers suspicious, but both Mr. Suff's van and its contents were being held as evidence.

Lieutenant Hearn said that additional evidence was found at Mr. Suff's apartment and other unspecified places.

Officials refused to confirm or deny reports that the killer posed as a police officer.

Some of Mr. Suff's neighbors in Colton, a city that sits in the bottleneck connecting the Los Angeles Basin with the Mojave Desert, said he often wore a jacket and jump suit with patches on it, outfits that appeared to be a uniform. 'Acting Like a Cop'

One neighbor said Mr. Suff's van bore stickers that resembled the county seal.

"He used to walk around here acting like a cop," said Donna Perez, who lived in the same apartment building as Mr. Suff. "He looked at everybody like he hated everybody."

Another neighbor, John T. Marks, said, "He was a quiet guy." Mr. Marks also said he saw a lot of people go in and out of Mr. Suff's apartment.

Mr. Suff and his wife, Teryl Rose Suff, were convicted of beating their 2-month-old daughter to death in Tarrant County, Tex., in 1974. Mr. Suff was paroled in 1984 after serving 10 years of a 70-year prison term, said a spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.